Tomorrow begins a brand new month. April arrives. During this month, we recognize awareness for Esophageal Cancer. It is estimated that nearly 16,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with this cancer.

What is Esophageal Cancer?

Esophageal Cancer is a disease that begins in the esophagus. The esophagus is the narrow tube that carries food and liquid from the mouth into the stomach. The tube is muscular and has four layers.

There are many risk factors that can cause this type of cancer:

Smoking

Drinking

Obesity

Hiatal Hernia

Barrett’s Esophagus

While these are risk factors, it is not cut and dry. Some esophageal cancer patients do not experience any risk factors. There is not a single known cause of this type of cancer.

In fact, most symptoms do not occur until the cancer has truly progressed. For example, a tumor may form on the esophagus, but you may not notice it until you find it difficult to swallow.

Some other symptoms that may occur are:

Difficulty or painful swallowing

Dramatic weight loss

Blood in the stool

Loss of appetite

Heartburn

Pain in the throat or back

Hoarseness or coughing

These symptoms can be common in a person without cancer, but if you feel concerned, you should certainly speak with your doctor.

How Can I Help?

Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month is a time to recognize this disease and do our part in helping with research and taking preventative measures.

For yourself and your loved ones: maintain a healthy diet. That means no smoking or excessive drinking of alcohol. Also practice proper exercise.

You can choose to help the Esophageal Cancer Awareness Association (ECAA). The organization is 100% volunteer based which means any funds donated go straight to raising awareness.

The ECAA hosts the Plant a Periwinkle activity. The color associated with Esophageal Cancer is a periwinkle color, which is a light blue. You can choose to honor you dedication to the cause or to someone you know that is suffering or has succumb to the disease by planting the periwinkle flower.

At Saint Vintage, our mission is to raise awareness and donate money to cancer research. During the month of April, 50% of all sales from our periwinkle Love Links bracelet will be donated to Esophageal Cancer Awareness.

During the month of March, we honor Colon Cancer Awareness. March became dedicated to this cause in February of 2000 by President Clinton. For the past seventeen years, patients, survivors, caregivers, and advocates have rallied together to help support this cause through fundraising events, education, and overall support to finding a cure.

Blue is the color that is associated with the Colon Cancer Alliance and Colon Cancer Awareness. On the first Friday of every March, National Dress in Blue Day is celebrated. This day is honored by the community to unite together for one cause.

The founder of Colon Cancer Stars, Anita Mitchell birthed the idea of Dress in Blue Day and the day became celebrated nationwide in 2009. Anita battled stage IV colon cancer. She also lost her father and a close friend to the disease. Anita felt as though there was not enough awareness to this type of cancer and recognized a need to bring the discussion of colon cancer to light.

Dressing in blue on this day sends an incredibly powerful message. It is a way to honor and celebrate loved ones. Whether they have lost their battle, are currently fighting, or have overcome the disease: we want to celebrate their journey and strength through it all. It is also a way to motivate and educate others to be screened for colon cancer. The disease is highly preventable and screening can be life saving. Above all, dressing in blue is a way of celebrating how far this cause has come.

Learn more about Dress in Blue Day and find ways that you can help support this cause. All month long, we will be featuring the Amelia Love Links Bracelet and 50% of the sale will be donated to Colon Cancer Awareness.

Happy February! A new month brings a new perspective, new goals, and new dreams. February is National Cancer Prevention Awareness Month, a time to be proactive in recognizing an illness that people are diagnosed with every day.

The goal of this month is not simply to raise awareness for all types of cancers and the fact that they exist. The goal is to inform the general population of ways to prevent cancer or be proactive in the diagnosis.

So, what can you do to commit to cancer prevention?

Practice Healthy Habits:

Did you know that one-third of the most common cancers in the United States can be prevented simply by adopting a healthier lifestyle? For your personal growth, this month can serve as a time to reevaluate your lifestyle choices and be proactive in making changing to becoming healthier. Take a look at your diet. What are you eating? Do you add enough green vegetables or fresh fruits to your meals? Do you eat a lot of red meat? Evaluate the diet you currently practice and make it a point to incorporate better foods into your intake. Check out our Pinterest page for some healthy recipes.

Another important aspect to leading a healthy lifestyle is exercise. Doctors recommend that you should practice some form of physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes per day. This does not need to be excessive. Exercise can be something as simple as taking a 30-minute walk around the block or can be as intense as a 1-hour cardio session on the elliptical. Either way, get your body moving and your blood pumping.

Visit Your Doctor:

Unfortunately, there are many Americans that do not visit their physician on a regular basis: whether people are scared or they don’t have the time or they are without insurance. But, participating in regular visits to your doctor ensures you are keeping up with your health. Most cancers are more easily treatable when they are caught early.

Empower Others:

As an individual, you can do all that you can to be in control of your own health. But, it is also important to empower the people in your life to be proactive in cancer prevention as well. Arrange workout sessions or physical activities with friends, such as a yoga class. If your elderly neighbor has trouble getting transportation to her doctor’s appointments, offer to take her. You can do your part for yourself and for the people you love.

This month, we are featuring one of our Love Links bracelets to honor Cancer Prevention Awareness. Wear this bracelet as a daily reminder to practice a healthy lifestyle to be proactive in preventing cancer.

Saint Vintage operates on a philanthropic spirit. Our mission is to help the future by raising money for cancer research. Up to 50% of all sales are donated to funding researching to finding a cure.

Saint Vintage jewelry is inspired by styles from the past. The handcrafted pieces are designed to be collected and cherished for years to come. With each purchase, wearers feel empowered that the piece they are wearing represents a truly great cause. It is a cause that can help so many people in the future.

Saint Vintage donates a large majority of its funds to Stand Up to Cancer in the hope that these donations can make the biggest impact possible. This is an organization near and dear to the heart of our brand. Yesterday, Katie Couric shared a wonderful birthday gift she received from Rally Health. To celebrate her milestone 60th birthday, Rally Health is donating $60,000 to Stand Up to Cancer for Colon Cancer research. At Saint Vintage, we are so grateful that celebrities and organizations value Stand Up to Cancer’s mission.

Every month, Saint Vintage features a bracelet from the Love Links Collection. Each bracelet represents a specific cancer awareness organization. 50% of sales from December’s red Czech glass bead bracelet will be donated to Stand Up to Cancer.

If you have a philanthropic spirit and want to help make a difference by supporting Stand Up to Cancer, Cervical Cancer Awareness, and other cancer-related organizations: help Saint Vintage in our mission. Purchase meaningful pieces for yourself or a loved one and share our jewelry for a cause mission. You never know, the 50% donation from your purchase could be what helps find a cure for cancer.

The New Year is upon us! Have you come up with resolutions for 2017 yet? Every year, we each strive to improve our lives. Whether we want to adopt a healthier lifestyle or pursue a dream; our resolutions have a theme of becoming better.

At Saint Vintage, we take pride in raising money and awareness for cancer. Philanthropy is at the heart of our company. If you are looking for a resolution that can help make a difference, consider devoting your time to volunteering for a good cause.

Here are some ways that you can lend a helping hand in the New Year:

Volunteer at a Hospital

Reach out to your local hospital and see how you can help volunteer. A great way to be involved is to simply go in and visit with some of the patients. Read to them, play games with them, or even just sit and talk. It sounds simple, but it can mean a lot to them! You can also volunteer as a greeter to welcome families or sit in the waiting room to provide some support to those families waiting for a loved one. Hospitals are also a great place to donate blood if you are interested.

Participate in a Fundraiser

There are many marathons, races, or other activities that support a cause whether it is health related such as cancer awareness or community-related such as supporting the homeless. Take a look at some local activities that may be coming up that you can participate in. Plus, if you are already seeking to be more active in the New Year, participating in a marathon is a great motivator to be fit!

Volunteer at a Shelter

There are a variety of shelters that seek volunteers such as for the homeless or pets. These organizations typically have a very small budget to assist those in need and are always looking for volunteers to lend a hand. You can help the homeless by serving food, provide entertainment, or wash clothes. Pet shelters are a great place to assist with cleaning, organize donations, or help with adoption events.

Donate Supplies

Maybe your busy schedule does not allow you extra time to volunteer. There are still ways you can help! Go through some of your clothes or household items and donate what you do not use. Or, pick up a few extra items at the store to donate to a local shelter. Every little bit helps and can make a difference.

Resolving to become more philanthropic in 2017 will not only make you feel better about yourself, it will also be helping others. Volunteering warms your heart like few other things will.

This year, during Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we are urging our followers to raise awareness by helping us “whiteout” for lung cancer!

Not many people realize that lung cancer is actually one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in people. Last month, everyone went pink for October Cancer Awareness Month, us included, but we have noticed that there seems to be a lack of white for lung cancer awareness.

So, to help change that, we have handcrafted a special white bracelet! Every purchase of this bracelet will donate 50% of proceeds to lung cancer research.

We truly do have the best fans ever! You will hear us say that over and over again because we believe it.

Not only do our fans have a passion for experimenting with their style, but they do so by also giving back to cancer research! They chose our one-of-a-kind accessories because they stand out for a good cause. We couldn’t do what we do without them, so for that we are forever thankful!

Would you like to join the cause? Learn more about our mission of supporting cancer research! And then get inspired for styling with Saint Vintage by checking out these photos our followers have uploaded!

We even have celebrities who wear our jewelry to advocate for the importance of cancer awareness and cancer research! Some of them include the beautiful Hayden Panettiere, Zooey Deschanel, and Kathie Lee Gifford!

Join our lovely fans in raising awareness for all types of cancer and give back to cancer research by purchasing your own Saint Vintage accessory! And when you wear it, please tag us in your photos! We would love to share them with our followers.

Pink is ALL over the place right now! Some of you may already know why, but for those of you who don’t – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and people sport their pink looks to help raise awareness!

As you know, raising awareness for all types of cancer and giving back to cancer research is a key part of our mission. Some people chose to only do one or the other, but we have handcrafted a one-of-a-kind bracelet that does both!

Our October Cancer Awareness Bracelet is a beautiful pastel pink to help raise awareness for breast cancer AND every purchase of this accessory donates 50% of proceeds to breast cancer research!

We encourage our followers to purchase a bracelet in honor of their own journey or as a gift to a loved one who has been affected by breast cancer. But you don’t have to be a breast cancer warrior to wear one of these! Other followers chose to purchase one to raise awareness and take a stand in the effort to find the cure so that we can help cure breast cancer in the future!

We also have other pink jewelry as well, all that stand out to make a stylish difference! Check out some of our unique pieces online and take a look at the ways our followers style their jewelry for a cause.

If you are wearing Saint Vintage pink in honor of breast cancer awareness, please tag us (@saintvintage) in your photos so we can share how you are making a difference!

It’s no surprise how much we love flowers and floral patterns! We think flowers are beautiful – the way they look, the way they smell, and the way they brighten up any room. However, one negative thing about real flowers is that you can’t keep them forever, no matter how well you care for them.

We want our flowers to last, which is why we use them as inspiration when we create our jewelry! We have floral-inspired bracelets that are part of our Love Cures Collection that are handcrafted using antique beads. The centerpieces to every single one of these bracelets are vintage brooches that we have collected over the years.

Whether you’re a lover of bright flowers that remind you of the summertime or more muted colors that look simple and fresh, we have a bracelet for you! Here are some of our most popular designs:

Our followers love to stack on our Love Cure bracelets when they wear them! We say the more flowers, the better!

With every purchase, we will donate 50% of proceeds to cancer research! We have been doing this for years, and have donated so much money to the cancer research organizations that are very near and dear to our hearts. So get a flower bracelet that is everlasting.

We may be going gold for childhood cancer awareness this month, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t going teal for ovarian cancer as well!

Our teal warriors are just as important to us. That is why we have made teal accessories available online that not only make women feel beautiful, but that give back to ovarian cancer research!

To us, teal is a color of strength, of hope, and of love. We encourage our followers – whether it’s because of a personal diagnosis or inspired by a loved one’s diagnosis – to support the cure for ovarian cancer by wearing one of our teal pieces! Here are a few of our most popular teal items:

Every single one of these accessories represents ovarian cancer awareness when you wear them. And with 50% of proceeds being donated to cancer research, your purchase could help find the cure for ovarian cancer!

If you or someone you know has been touched by ovarian cancer, please share this post! And if you already own or plan to purchase one of these accessories, we would love if you took a SV Selfie and tagged us (@saintvintage) in the photo so that we can share your story with our other followers!